Dirnean Bargees

The Dirnean bargees are a loose affiliation of various sailor-families and barge-captains plying their trade on Daggerfall's great river Dirne. Often considered something of a unique subculture in their own right, the riverbound bargees are one truly peculiar shred in the sprawling urban patchwork that is the capital of the West. Neither here nor there, neither proper citizenry nor truly outlanders, they fall typically into the same mossy cracks as street-witches, hedgewizards and guard-knights - "they're here and they're with us, but they're not us, see; and there's, well, there's just something wrong in the head about people like thems."

Divided among their own little clans and families, the Dirnean bargees do not, in fact - and contrary to popular belief - all sail in strictly segregated house-ships. While it is certainly true that there are a good few barges dominated by the captain's kin, and that it takes a special kind of hat and your own boat to stand any kind of chance at running a bargee clan, the Dirneans are, at heart, a social people, and they mingle often; among themselves, with seabound sailors, with other river-people even - be they the riverwitches of Tulune, or even the distant and exotic Bjolsae tribes. It's not the colour of your sails, or the carvings on your oars that make you Dirnean - it's all in the colour of your blood; and also of those rather garish waist-sashes, you'd hardly ever spot a true bargee swaying about without his or her own.

Trapped somewhere between witches, primeval Nedes and modern Bretons, the bargees have only ever found one halfway sensible means of cultural expression - dancing. Having lived most their lives on the river, many Dirneans have feet quick enough to do a witch proud, and it's only natural they put them to good use in recording their legends, tales and chants. Some say they have as many steps as Redguards do sword-cuts, and the particular flourish for "and there they were - the Excise lads, bearing down on me" is certainly something to behold. That's not to say it's an art everyone can appreciate - the bargees are often ridiculed about their stereotypical wobbly gait; but any true Dirnean knows to mock right back, and "stiffleg" and "brickfoot" are common derogatory terms to denote land-dwellers.